Their 38th album, Welshpool Frillies, released on Friday, July 21st. The album is headed by the single “Meet the Star”, a tune that embraces the rock side with Pollard’s clanky guitar jangling on the lead riff.

The quality of the song does not factor in this ranking. There could be a ten-second track of Pollard accidentally leaving his studio mic on called “King of the Pearl Oyster Conglomerate” that contains ten seconds of nonsense fuzz that could make it in. Pollard and Sprout don’t chase perfection; they embrace the raw, the spontaneous, and the imperfect, which makes their sound feel alive.

That same energy carries through in their lyrics, a blend of surrealism and sharp wit that turns every song into an unpredictable ride. They’ve built a cult following not by chasing trends but by staying true to their unconventional, homespun style—a method that more musicians today are beginning to appreciate. With advancements in recording technology and shifting industry landscapes, more artists are realizing that they don’t need a massive studio or label backing to make compelling music.

This is where DIY music production comes into play. Much like Guided By Voices’ homegrown ethos, modern musicians can now record, mix, and release music entirely from their own space, often with minimal equipment. A solid interface, a good mic, and a laptop loaded with the right software can transform any bedroom into a fully functional studio.

The ability to experiment freely without worrying about studio time constraints allows for greater artistic expression, much like Pollard and Sprout’s approach of capturing ideas quickly and moving on to the next one.

Characterized by their bent humor and crooked song titles, Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout’s rotating repertoire remain loyal to their off-kilter roots. Lyrics are full of the duo’s wry humor and absurd imagery. It’s word soup, but tasty word soup. Here’s my picks for the top ten weirdest Guided By Voices songs.

10. Queen of Second Guessing

Distorted vocals babble over a guitar in this indecipherable song. It sounds like one of Daniel Johnston’s early tracks got warped by fire. “Queen of Second Guessing” closes the A-side of Get Out of My Stations a 7” later rereleased as an album to include live hits such as “Motor Away” and “Postal Blowfish.” Pollard and Sprout co-wrote this crafty name that stands out in this mostly experimental album that has the credit: “Lovingly F***ed With By Mike ‘Rep’ Hummel.”

9. Littlest League Possible

Pollard is a phenomenal baseball player, or at least he was. In 1978, he threw a no-hitter, pitching for Wright State University. Does he still get the itch to go out there? To relive the glory days? According to the song “Littlest League Possible,” yes. “Gonna have a lotta fun/Gonna hit a home run/In the littlest league possible,” he sings. If you see a 65-year-old man with short shaggy white hair step up to the plate at the local tee ball game, you know he’s gearing to beat the youngsters for his victory.

8. Tainted Angels with Butter Knives

This grimy pipe dream of a song title is from the band’s second “suitcase anthology,” released during the band’s hiatus from 2004 to 2010. This entire song plays like a sluggish acid trip in the best way possible. Thick crunchy guitars drone over this piece of gritty garage psychedelia. The song calls out Jason Loewenstein of Sebadoh, “Jason Loewenstien’s a wanker” Pollard murmurs before the vocals get trampled under muddy guitars. Just as Pollard’s vocals are wiped away, you can hear “…Tainted Angels with butter knives/…wash away our sins.”

7. Maintenance Man of the Haunted House

Guided By Voices’ eleventh release since 2017, aptly titled It’s Not Them. It Can’t Be Them. It’s Them! was released in 2021. “Maintenance Man of the Haunted House” is a brooding song with high synths reminiscent of horror soundtracks. Pollard embraces the absurd qualities of the group, “Streets signs confuse/but that’s by design,” he sings before closing the song with, “And then he goes back in bleeding/to where he began reading/It’s his job description.” These loose lines are released after Earth Man Blues, described as a “faux rock-opera” in It’s Them’s release info. It’s a group taking a creative breath of fresh air.

6. Unbaited Vicar of Scorched Earth

Part of the fun of this song is trying to figure out what the title means. This song is from their 1996 release Tonics and Twisted Chasers, originally a limited release to the group’s fan club. Pollard chants the jumbled, nearly indecipherable line “Unbaited Vicar of Scorched Earth” between verses filled with primal and destructive undertones of youth. “A child did rumble when kicking loud trash/ […] /In a kitchen of birds sits a wicked child’s cat.” This album was mostly a Pollard and Sprout combination, a step back from their Under the Bushes, Under the Stars recording with producers Kim Deal and Steve Albini.

5. Crybaby 4-Star Hotel

A stilted marching rhythm starts this song evoking a skewed parade. English Little League from 2013 is not an entry-level album for listeners. Yes, it’s one of the first albums from the reunited “classic” Guided By Voices lineup (Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Greg Demos, Mitch Mitchell, and Kevin Fennelli), but the absurdities in the album play for the deeper fanbase. Knowing that Pollard installed a home studio before making this album, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the opening line for this song is “She started crying/Look where I fell/Into the Crybaby 4-Star Hotel.”

4. Class Clown Spots a UFO

A modern day “boy who cried wolf” tale is the titular track from their second 2012 album. Before that release, it was featured on their 2005 Suitcase album, and appeared as an instrumental on a solo Pollard EP. The song embraces the group’s poppier side as they shoot for the sound they captured on 1995’s Alien Lanes. Again, Pollard writes for the ruffian in the back of the classroom, “What can you say when nothing’s laid out for you?/He saw ‘em coming in the western sky/He hung his head and started to cry.” The mantra “Up, up we go now” repeats in Pollard’s isolated vocals.

3. Heaven Beats Iowa (Cub Scout Bowling Pins)

Cub Scout Bowling Pins’ lineup is identical to the current Guided By Voices lineup. It’s technically not a GBV song, but it’s released under GBV’s own label. If they didn’t want it to be associated with GBV, they should have marketed it differently. So I’m adding it. As seen in “Littlest League Possible,” Pollard is good at baseball. It’s remarkable that he went this long in his career without bringing up Field of Dreams, but when he does, it’s usually a home run. “Hit or miss/Heaven beats Iowa/In a field of grass.” This track comes from an eponymous EP filled with fuzzy power pop hits.

2. The Unsinkable Fats Domino

The “classic” lineup reunion came out with a bang. “The Unsinkable Fats Domino” celebrates the group’s return to the music scene. “How’s your life and cycle?/Compared to your next rival?/A ’59 revival?/An ‘05 survival?” This song acts as a celebration of GBV’s reunion and an homage to Fats Domino, one of Pollard’s major influences. This album delved into stilted power pop with pleasant soaring melodies.

1. Cocksoldiers and their Postwar Stubble

It’s about chickens, you freak. Fighting chickens. This song appears in their 1996 EP Sunfish Holy Breakfast. Droning distorted guitars ring over the victorious track produced by Kim Deal. Pollard has a skewed sense of humor, but a message rings through. The lines “And realize the entertainment/rise above the self-containment/compromise will be their arrangement” reveal these dreaming chickens yearn for a better life under a clever title.

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Local artist mars hojilla was joined by bassist Paras Bassuk (they/them) and drummer Chloe Weidl (she/her). Evangelista recruited them after his act was accepted for Mission Creek. Mars hojilla is Evangelista’s pop-rock band and uses simple phrasing to portray complex personal situations. He touched on his songwriting during an interview with KRUI. “Sometimes I’ll write something and think it can only be [applicable] to me, and someone [after a show] will say, ‘oh my God, I thought your song meant this’”.

His next track was “one of the good ones”, which features the lyrics “Baby I’ve been in your shoes”. The audience swayed to the steady bassline and clean guitar riff. After the track, Evangelista thanked the crowd, especially his partner, Emily, who stood “front and center”. He introduced the track “next week” as a song about a long-distance relationship. One of my favorite lines from the song was “distance makes the heart grow fonder / but I’d hate to be away from you any longer”. “Next week” perfectly encapsulates a long-distance relationship that thrives on optimism.

As Myles swapped out his electric to an acoustic guitar, he told the audience some stories. He started out with a bouncer giving him a tough time when he tried to enter a 21+ venue. “[The bouncer] said, you look 12… keep thinking that your mustache makes you look 21. [I said] like, shut up Chris, you’re bald.” He revealed to the audience that he is a transgender man and has been on testosterone for the past year. Evangelista expressed his concern about the rise in trans hate.

“Systems that should be a space for protecting kids’ existence aren’t,” he said. He raised his concerns about legislation that threatens the trans community. Then, he went into his own experiences in “Pinocchio”.

“Pinocchio” is a personal narrative about Evangelista’s identity and the challenges of having other people accepting him. Vivid imagery of the marionette shows his struggles and unabashed triumph. His vocals were passionate, and the air in Trumpet Blossom froze as he detailed his struggles. As the song ended to uproarious applause, Evangelista turned around and collected himself for a moment. Then another. As the audience realized he was crying underneath the bright red sunglasses, they broke out into even more cheers as Evangelista turned around to see the moved crowd.

“Seeing and acknowledging isn’t enough!” Evangelista announced after the song. “Fight back against legislation. Donate to funds. Ensure [trans friends] are respected and safe.” After this announcement, he took a deep breath. “Oh man, I have family here.” He pointed out his parents, their first time seeing him perform in two years. Smiles spread across the audience.

“Okay. Let’s lighten the mood,” Evangelista said. “This one’s about turning your friends gay.” His song “just between us” was an upbeat poppy track with hilarious wordplay. Lines like “Keep it between us / your favorite little sin” showed the playful nature of the song while having critical undercurrents on cultures that cause people to bury their true selves within.

Before they started the last song in the set, Evangelista cut his backstory short. “This one is about a girl who broke my heart at 19. She—wait, I can’t get into this, my parents are here.” The audience laughed, and he started “kiss your boys”. The rock track had a mean riff in the chorus that incited some head-banging. Pent up angst crashed through the guitar in a sound that bordered Evangelista’s other act, Two Canes. Unfortunately, after this intoxicating rock song ended, so did their set.

Mars hojilla’s deeply personal Mission Creek concert was a strong first gig for the trio. Bassuk and Weidl showcased their prowess and bass and drums. Evangelista effectively worked the crowd with his moving stories and sunny lyrics to deliver a compelling set of pop-rock jams. Evangelista’s vocals take the passion from emo and the range of pop to brighten listeners’ already sunny Saturday afternoons. His excitement and optimism were contagious throughout the performance. Evangelista will play with his hard-rock group Two Canes at Gabe’s on April 14^th at 8:30 pm. Gabe’s is located on 330 E Washington Ave.

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“I kicked my guitarist out of the band like, two days ago… so f*** it! Let’s do it,” lead vocalist Lindsay Jordan cracked before her set. “And I got a new guitar! All for you guys.” She flashed her Fender with a glossy wood body.

After playing two familiar tracks, “Heatwave” and “Ben Franklin”, she remarked that she “felt like [she] was just in Iowa, [but] it’s been 2.5 years!” After a couple of slight hiccups, the band reached their full stride. Jordan kicked, shimmied, and grooved around the stage, interacting with bandmates, but always making it back to the mic on cue for her next line.

“This one is brand new, you haven’t heard this before,” Jordan quipped before starting the riff to “Thinning”. Her guitar strap snapped during the song. She continued to play the riff with no interruption someone from Englert’s production team swiftly replaced it. The audience cheered at the feat. The guitarist was without her strap for a few seconds, but when something goes wrong at a show, each second matters. Jordan and the stagehand’s combined experience ensured the show went on without interruption.

Banter was common between songs. After “Sailing (Forever)”, an eagle-eyed fan noticed the keyboardist using a banana as a shaker. Jordan squinted at the patron’s phone. “Guy… banana?” She asked. The audience member replied, “Nice banana!” The keyboardist told Jordan that “They’re talking about me.” “Oh,” Jordan replied dryly. “They’re talking about you at my show?” Laughter rippled through the audience. Jordan continued. “[The keyboardist] is my friend now. He didn’t used to be, but this next track is about him.” The song “Full Control” played next.

The keyboardist kept up. After the track, he challenged Jordan. “She can’t do pushups.” Jordan shook her head. “That’s bullshit. You wanna see?” Led by the keyboardist, the crowd counted as Jordan did ten pushups.

After playing “Headlock”, Jordan added a new twist to “Valentine”. Her pedal effect on the guitarist had a slashing sound to it reminiscent of the questioning chorus. Then they left the stage, never to be seen again.

A lone barstool stood on stage when Lindsay Jordan returned for the encore. “This is a song about friendship,” she said. “I rewrote this, like, 40 times so sometimes I don’t remember the right lyrics.” Her solo rendition of “c. et. al.” was a somber reflection embedded in a lively set. After the song, her backing band returned and unleashed a double track of “Dirt” and “Slug”, seamlessly connecting the songs into each other. To end the show, she played the crowd-pleasing “Pristine”. Unlike the lyrics, “It just feels like / The same party every weekend”, Snail Mail mixed up the city’s routine with a late-night concert at the Englert.

The stage is a playground for Lindsay Jordan of Snail Mail. She radiates an infectious bubbly energy that won over the audience during Mission Creek. Problems sprouted during the show, but the group was able to roll through them and connect with the audience. The group ran with the buzz Sudan Archives created for an impressive double feature Friday night.

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Raised on pop classics, Evangelista fostered passion for music while exploring vulnerability through his songwriting. Mars hojilla draws their stripped-down sound from acts such as NoSo, who performed at this year’s homecoming concert, and “emo folk-adjacent” artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. The new boygenius album sparked inspiration in Evangelista to see how each member’s sound can expand in the trio.

Myles advocates for more representation in the music scene, a space dominated by white male voices. They find artists like NoSo, a non-binary Korean, inspiring and are excited to take their act to the big stage. As a biomedical student at the University of Iowa, Evangelista works through tight time constraints to play as mars hojilla and Two Canes, a hard-rock band that showcases grittier sounds.

Mars hojilla plays at the Trumpet Blossom Café on Saturday, April 8^th at 3:30 pm. The show is free to the public. Trumpet Blossom is located at 310 E Prentiss St. For tickets and scheduling information, check out Mission Creek’s website.

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Snail Mail’s 2018 release “Lush” is a great listen as spring slowly blossoms into summer. Jordan’s crisp yet thoughtful guitar rings through the album over bittersweet lyrics. Lines like “The morning bleeds into golden dream / Just like before” from the song “Golden Dream” wash over listeners like a cool night breeze over sunburnt shoulders from the beach. Tracks from “Lush” evoke a sense of nostalgia in listeners. Jordan writes with a clarity that evokes memories of late summer nights and lost love.

Armed with a jangling guitar in her first two albums, Jordan’s sound matured into a darker blend of synths, keyboards, and strings in her 2021 release “Valentine”. This shifted her from the Liz Phair comparisons but added depth to her songs. Intricate layering caused attentive listeners to pick up on new touches on tracks. On “Headlock”, synths emit a ghostly woo during the chorus. This project switches between songs adjacent to dream pop rooted with a driving guitar (“Valentine”, “Glory”) and somber reflective songs (“Mia”, “c. et. al.”) without compromise.

The “Valentine” music video depicts a queer revenge story set in a Victorian-era setting. The chorus “Why’d you wanna erase me?” soars over the track. Jordan gorges on cake to defy stuffy socialites and ends the video in a bloodbath reminiscent of “Carrie”. A golden retriever puppy steals the show in the “Ben Franklin” music video set in a New England home that matches the brighter poppy sounds of the track.

If you enjoyed Soccer Mommy’s set at last year’s Mission Creek, or artists such as boygenius and Japanese Breakfast, check out Snail Mail’s set. Artists bring an extra burst of energy on the start of their tours. Snail Mail performs on Friday, April 7^th at the Englert Theatre. See Mission Creek’s website for tickets, schedules, and more.

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The new event center features new audio-visual systems, modern carpet, and multi-colored LED overhead lights. John reinforced that the Riverside’s “impeccable service” still remains.  Members of various chambers of commerce from Washington to Cedar Rapids gathered to celebrate the new event center. Michelle Redlinger, executive director of Washington chamber of commerce, highlighted Riverside’s established reputation for high-quality concerts. She pointed out that Riverside patrons enjoy “singing their heart[s] out”.

Riverside’s contributions to the surrounding community are important to their philosophy. Redlinger reiterated that the “compassion… Riverside gives to [the] community” is integral to the Riverside, and the business owes gratitude back to their community. A director of the Washington Riverboat Foundation recalled the time they gave the YCMA a “$3.5 million grant for a new building”, and a veterans group $20,000 for renovations. John touted Riverside’s “mandatory employee volunteer program” that has won the Give Back Iowa challenge five of the past seven years, including 2022.

Redlinger also claimed that the Riverside’s events “attract national talent” to a rural community who wouldn’t experience it without the casino. Online casinos like BoomtownBingo contribute to the accessibility of such experiences beyond physical locations. They also provided lots of bonuses that they offer to new and old players, which you can navigate to on this site, casnobonussuomi.com. With a plethora of bonuses available, these online casinos, including ยูฟ่า777, not only amplify the allure of gaming but also cultivate a sense of inclusivity among players, regardless of their location or background.

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Brandon Gibbs, who toured with Poison on their stadium tour last year, previewed the venue’s upgraded sound system. Armed with custom acoustic guitars, he strummed and sang a heartfelt rendition of Motley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home”. At one point during the show, he brought up Shelby, his daughter, to sing a heartwarming duet. Gibbs also performed familiar favorites such as “Stuck in the Middle with You” and Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive”.

For older students looking for a weekend getaway, the Riverside Casino and Golf Course is a great place for it. The optimal time to visit is the spring, once their renowned golf course opens. You can find their website here.

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“Five Easy Hot Dogs” was created over a rambling four-month road trip, where DeMarco didn’t “go home to Los Angeles until [he] had a record,” according to his site. Mac didn’t perform any shows on this journey. He simply drifted through North America, writing songs as he went. The jaunting chronological album matches his free-loving nature. After recording each song, he would explore the city, letting fans guide him through unfamiliar streets. While some of his friends weren’t in town, Mac got to stay with Snail Mail’s Lindsay Jordan and recorded with rapper Lil Yachty.

Just like his impromptu parade through North American cities, Mac didn’t have a theme or plan in mind when recording. “Luckily the collection of recordings from this period all shake hands” he noted on his site. “Five Easy Hot Dogs” is Mac’s second instrumental album, his first since “Another One” in 2015.

This album is a slow burn filled with bumbling guitars grounded by a sturdy drum machine. The songs featuring his bass are some of the strong points on the album.

Dim fuzzy synths mumbles over a lackadaisical guitar riff in “Gualula 2”, a song that hums like a lone car on a vacant interstate, its back to a rising sun.

“Vancouver” features a jangling guitar careening over a clacketing drum machine, with a meditative bass humming on the surface.

“Chicago 2” is one of the most complete songs on the album, a song that floats like rose petals flying in the wind. Synths flutter throughout the idyllic track.

On this album, Mac distances himself from his causal fanbase with purposeful steps. There are great pockets on this somber album that take listeners to lonely highways and empty backroads, but it is too repetitive. The songs never take off: they spread a groundwork, then remain idle before petering off into the next track. Still, I enjoyed listening to it. It’s a great listen for an early Sunday morning, or bumbling around throughout the city on foot, but these simple songs don’t have the staying power or replay value of his last project.

This record is an enjoyable easy listen. Mac, who quit smoking during his road trip, took another step to improve himself. This meditative album from Mac’s journey back and forth across America reads like a personal statement more than anything else. Gone are his destructive “Rock and Roll Night Club” days – Mac is on the right track.

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Buddy Holly was in a tough spot. His manager had stolen from him, and after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, he needed money to support his pregnant wife and move to New York. To raise funds, Holly set off on the “Winter Dance Tour” with his band of Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Brunch, performing in venues throughout the Midwest.

They played with Richie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson. The tour bus had frequent heating issues over the course of the tour. Around Green Bay, Wisconsin, the group was downgraded to a decommissioned school bus. Frostbite, fever, and colds fostered during their long treks from ballroom to ballroom. Sporadic touring locations from the management company caused the musicians to dub it “the tour from hell”. Most of the driving was on snowed over two-laned country roads. The highway system wouldn’t be implemented until nearly a decade later.  

Tour managers informed the weathered group that they had to play at the Surf Ballroom the night of February 2nd. Tired of the tour bus conditions, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, and Tommy Allsup decided to fly to Fargo, North Dakota. They would meet with the other performers and drive to their nearby concert in Moorhead, Minnesota. Jennings switched with Richardson due to an illness caused by the tour bus, while Allsup lost his seat to Valens over a coin toss. Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson prepared for their first relaxing transport of the tour.

Snowfall caused inclement weather for the region. Outside of Clear Lake, the owner of the Mason City Airport assigned 21-year-old pilot Roger Peterson to charter them, a “man who built his life around flying” (Jerry Dwyer, Aircraft Accident Report). At approximately 12:55 a.m., the plane took off. The Air Traffic control quickly lost its blinking headlight after it rapidly descended into the deep winter. Attempts to contact the plane failed. Around 9 a.m. the next morning, investigative teams found the wreckage in a field mere miles from the airport. There were no survivors. Four young men had lost their lives to an ill-fated flight. Even if they had made it out of Iowa, the after-accident report details that more intense inclement weather would have occurred. This information was not relayed to the pilot.

Heartbroken fans mourned the loss of these bright young men. They were on the cusp of greatness. Surviving tour members honored their legacy. Waylon Jennings, a bassist on Holly’s tour, became a Billboard-favorite and a major influence on the Outlaw Country genre in the ensuing decades. He referenced the tragedy on “Long Time Ago”, a song from his 1978 album I’ve Always Been Crazy”. “Don’t ask me who I gave my seat to on that plane, I think you already know, I told you a long time ago.”

Don McLean put an apt name to this tragedy in his paramount song “American Pie”. The song deals with America’s disillusionment surrounding the tragedy, and the artists who built upon the foundation left in their wake. McLean remembers that “something touched me deep inside / the day the music died.” While rock music endures to this day, its innocence was lost that cold night in Iowa.

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Starting at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, SCOPE and the Wired Production Group will construct a stage by the early afternoon. “We should [have it done] for SHOUT in the evening,” SCOPE’s community outreach director Myles Evangelista said.

Preparations for the homecoming concert began before the fall semester started. SCOPE’s board of directors, a four-person committee, scours over artists within their allotted budget. The board also looks for acts touring the Midwest around Iowa’s homecoming. They usually find the artist, in this case indie rock group Sir Chloe, about a month before homecoming. SCOPE keeps the artist under tight wraps, especially after an incident a few years ago when the artist was leaked by an over-enthusiastic team member.

Once SCOPE finds the artist, their graphic designer Charlie Darveau creates promotional materials. With larger artists such as Sir Chloe, the band usually sends in pictures to use. Darveau then proposes a design to the artist, who either accepts or suggests changes.

Evangelista describes the design process as “iterative.” Seeing that the final design is now on both SCOPE and Sir Chloe’s social media platforms, it’s clear that both parties are satisfied with the results. Supportive fans flooded Sir Chloe’s comments to praise the artwork, an eerie double exposure of lead singer Dana Foote. It’s a perfect match for the late autumn atmosphere.

Indie lo-fi artist NoSo will open the homecoming show. Their name references the divide between North Korea and South Korea and asks an abrasive question: “which part of Korea are you from?”

On Tuesday, Evangelista interviewed NoSo with a member of the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center. Their conversation highlighted the importance of including diverse voices, especially in the indie scene. In the interview, NoSo said “it’s important to exist and to get out there and play, by being a queer Asian indie artist [they] create a more inclusive space around [them].”

Evangelista furthered this opinion, noting that he observed a trend in the indie scene. “White artists [tend to] book white members of production teams, or marketing teams,” he observed. “Artists of color will seek out bringing other people of color to their team, because not a lot of people will actively make space for that.”

He emphasized that SCOPE has a responsibility to understand diversity, equity, and inclusion, adding that Sir Chloe is the first femme headliner since Lizzo’s 2018 homecoming concert. Evangelista believes that SCOPE, as the “music industry” on campus, has a responsibility to uphold these standards and allow more voices to be heard.

One new aspect at this year’s homecoming celebration is the costume party, set to take place before the concert. “It’s Halloween and homecoming week… why keep them separate?” Evangelista said. The costume party starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28 in front of the Old Capitol Building. Costumed participants have a chance at winning prizes.

Sir Chloe and NoSo’s homecoming concert will begin at 8 p.m. Make sure to include this concert in your Halloweekend plans. If you still have an itch to hear live music after the homecoming concert on Friday night, head to the James Theatre (213 N Gilbert St) at 9:30 p.m. to see Martin Sexton. Sexton is a singer-guitarist who blends elements of soul, R&B, and country.

SCOPE’s next event will be the Lamplight concert around late November or early December. Keep an eye out for further info from the SCOPE team.

Myles Evangelista is the community outreach director for SCOPE Productions. He is a senior studying biomedical engineering and joined SCOPE to get a better understanding of what goes on “behind the stage.” Evangelista has a solo act under the name mars hojilla (pronounced heel-ia) and is supporting a friend at the Trumpet Blossom’s Halloween “Costumed Cover Show”, Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. The Trumpet Blossom is located at 310 E Prentiss St.

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During the interview Soccer Mommy mentioned that her upcoming album Sometimes, Forever strays from Color Theory’s nostalgic recollection of the 90’s and 00’s, this time opting for “electronic… and ambient elements,” featuring more “glitchy” songs similar to her 2021 single “rom com 2004.” In addition, vocals will be a more prominent part of the album, featuring sections of Sophie Allison’s isolated vocals as well as intricate three-part harmonies, “not just ‘oohs and ahhs’, like instruments.”

Seats filled up quickly before Soccer Mommy’s 9:30 set. The concert featured some of Soccer Mommy’s hits, such as “Circle the Drain,” and “Cool.” In between songs Soccer Mommy’s instrumentalists included ambient sounds with veins of distortion, captivating the audience while members switched instruments. Allison, both the vocalist and guitarist, switched between her three different guitars onstage. 

Soccer Mommy performed introspective songs such as “Royal Screw Up” as well. Hints at Soccer Mommy’s new sound for the upcoming album can be heard in her newest single “Shotgun.”

The Englert Theater’s light system provided an other-worldly experience with darker shades of purple, blue, and red, as well as a rich green light that flashed behind the stage. People in the audience were dancing the entire show, especially a cluster of dancers on the left side of the stage.

The concert included superb performances from drummer Rollum Haas and keyboardist/guitarist Rodrigo Avendano. Haas delivered a fierce, commanding drumbeat and increased the complexity of his fills compared to his tracks on the album, giving avid listeners a different live sound. Avendano, the guitarist behind the main riffs in hits such as “Your Dog” and “Circle the Drain” was active whenever he was on stage, sometimes switching between playing the lead guitar and harmonizing keyboard in the same song.

Overall, Soccer Mommy earned the headline spot at Mission Creek Festival with their bright-sounding indie underpinning the deeper, darker meaning looming in the lyrics. Sometimes, Forever releases June 24^th and can be pre-ordered through her website. 

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